Lewis N. Clark Immersion Heater

This product is excellent and I would recomment it! I have been reading about similars products and I chose this one as it is better in terms of quality.

Worked once and then stopped. Was careful not to pull it out of the water immediately. The plastic around the heating element is inexpensive but not a good engineering decision. Have had several to hers in the past like this one and the plastic always gets brittle and shatters after using it for about a month, no matter the carefulness in using it. I'd gladly pay more for one that would last longer! This one is clearly a quality escape. I travel to many places in the world that do not offer hot water in lodging and so bring it to heat my own water for beverages.

The item was working well. It touched a ink pen, melted it a little but was able to pulli t off quickly now it won't work.

I went to a cruise trip in Europe. On the ship(120v) it worked fine. Later I was in a hotel in Spain(220V) it worked fine for about 3 times then it was dead. There was no electric shortage, no short circuit, no pop sound or smell, it just stop heating & left me for 2 days with no hot drinking water. I called LC Industry and they told me to send it back, which I did. Hope I can get a replacement that's working!

Comparison of Four Portable Immersion Heaters I have UsedSee Item 3b below for this product1. Norpro 559 Immersion Heater for Warming Liquids (My rating: 5/5)Cost/ Purchased from: $7.39 (July 2012)- Amazon/ Andrew J. AhrensMarking on Housing: CH-103Voltage/Power: 120 VAC, 300 WWeight: 3.0 ozElement length: 3"Cord Type: 2-pin, 34" longBoil time (16 oz): about 10 minAuto shutoff: NoRecommended: YesComments: I used this recently on a three month 4,000 mile cycle tour of the West coast Seattle to San Diego and back). Simple to use, reliable, no hassles. Cord is thin and flexible and rolls up onto element in a compact package. This is a plus for cyclists. I used it to heat 0.5 liters (about 16 oz) of water in my Jetboil stove pot, whenever I had 120 VAC electricity (like in campgrounds or rest rooms). Half way into my trip, to save weight and bulk on my bike, I mailed home the gas stove, ditched the nearly empty gas cylinder, and relied entirely on the immersion heater for heating. I estimate that I used this 100 + times. Note that the instructions say one should not immerse the body in water. I did this often. No problem. One advantage of the 300 W power (which is much less than the typical 1400 W in a kitchen electric kettle) is that the water will boil quietly without spattering water everywhere.2. Bush CH-101-T4P Energy-Saving Immersion Water Heater (My rating: 3/5)Cost/ Purchased from: $14.95 (July 2012)- Amazon/ [email protected] on Housing: CH-101 110V 500WVoltage/Power: 120 VAC, 500 WWeight: 5.5 ozElement length: 4"Cord Type: 3-pin, 36" longBoil time (16 oz): about 6 minAuto shutoff: NoRecommended: Not for cyclists, unless of the impatient type. Reliability is unknown.Comments:Before starting my cycle trip in July 2012, I also ordered this Bush CH-101 immersion heater. This is heavier and more powerful (500 W). I tested it at home and it boiled one 16 pot of water and then failed. I called the supplier and they shipped me a second one for free (good, prompt service). I tried this again after returning from my trip and it boiled 4 pots of water without problems. So perhaps only the first one was a dud.Comparison with Norpro 559:Advantages:1. Boils faster2. Uses a 3 pin plug with ground, hence safer if the element shorts to the steel coil.Disadvantages1. Thicker cord, requires a 3-pin receptacle, does not roll up on itself as well, heavier. These points are more relevant to cyclists than to car campers or home users.2. If left to boil, it generates waves up to 1" high. This can spatter water if you don't have a enough height above water in your pot.3a. Voltage Valet Dual Voltage Beverage Heater (My rating: 4/5 (240V) 2/5 (120V))Cost/ Purchased from: $14.95 (May 2011)- Amazon/ LuggageGuru (E Vincent Leathergoods, Inc)3b: Lewis N. Clark 120/240 Immersion Heater with European Plug (This is the same unit as 3a)Cost/ Purchased from: $14.36 (May 2011)- Amazon/Emporium LuggageMarking on Housing: CH-101 120 V 125 W /240 V 500 WVoltage/Power: 240 VAC, 500 W or 120 VAC, 125 WWeight: 3.5 ozElement length: 3"Cord Type: 2-pin (USA), 36" long. Device 3b comes with adapter (2 pin USA female-> 2 round pin Euro male)Boil time (16 oz): about 6 min (240 V), 24 min (120 V)Auto shutoff: NoRecommended: Yes (240V only)Comments: These are identical units. Both came with a 2 prong US plug. The Lewis and Clark version came with a Euro adapter plug. These accept the US 2-pin 125V male plug, and have the std Euro 2-pin male plug (two 1/8" dia pins ¾" apart between centers). This 2 pin Euro plug worked in Holland, Prague (Czech Republic), Sweden and Norway, but not in England, which requires a 3-pin adapter with rectangular pins (one vertical for ground, and two horizontal). Each heater has a clip-on plastic piece which is pressed inside the two 1' diameter heater coils. Its idea is to keep the hot coils away from the side of a plastic mug. It is rather hokey and comes off easily. The plastic handle of the heater has a protruding clip which allows one to suspend the heater coil 2.5" down into the water (measured to center of 1" dia coil). One problem with a tall 16 oz mug (which I use) is that the heater coil is then too far from the bottom, so the top section would boil while the bottom section of water would be lukewarm. In this case one needs to stir regularly. After a while I got tired of doing this and simply immersed the entire heater, plastic base and all, into the mug. This boiled fine without stirring - life is too short to stir a mug until it boils! The instructions say not to immerse the plastic but it withstood the heat OK. There is no thermal cutoff so don't leave the heater or it will boil over and make a big mess, as I discovered. Also, don't power it up without water or it will rapidly burn up. I used one of the heaters for about 2-3 weeks of our trip, during which time I boiled about 8-10 x 16 oz mugs of water. I bring my own tea and coffee/ mocha mix. Great for Reykjavik airport at 7 am, when there were no coffee shops open, or in Stockholm airport where coffee or tea was $4 - $5. In most cases one can boil the water in the bathroom. I also did this in gas stations in Norway. After about 10 cups the first heater gave out. I suspect the element in the coil burnt out. Perhaps immersing the plastic handle accelerated this, but I don't think so. Anyway, it saved me 10 x $4 = $40, plus provided us with coffee/ tea when none were available, so it paid for itself. The second unit worked fine for the remaining third of our trip. It is still functional. So, buy two of these for use on 240 V. On 120 V, only one is needed. It will last for ever on 120 V, but your patience and sanity may not. You could buy two and place both in the same mug (120 V only !).Comparison with Norpro 559:Advantages:1. Boils faster on 240 V.2. Includes a handy cloth bag with pull cord. (Not really needed, however).Disadvantages1. Too slow on 120 V.2. If left to boil on 240 V, it generates waves up to 1" high. This can spatter water if you don't have a enough height above water in your pot.

We have been very satisfied with this product. It works very well and really comes in handy and we always take it along with our own coffee supplies when we go out of town.

This unit worked well in Europe for about a week. Then it made a popping noise when in use and never worked again.

Product arrived on time and as discribed small and compact, I will write an update after the product once it has been utilize on my next trip.